The latest design trends in aircraft cabin interiors demonstrate that providing a lightweight passenger seat that provides adequate passenger comfort is an extremely difficult balance to achieve due to sometimes competing requirements. For example, the requirement for comfort is important primarily for the passenger using the seat and the commercial airlines that are of course in the business of transporting such passengers in comfort. In this regard, airlines have explored the possibility to provide passengers with additional comfort and space at a cost to the passenger as means to increase revenue since current interior cabin seat layouts can make passengers feel cramped, especially when travelling in economy classes. The lack of privacy due to “living space” squeeze is also a common complaint from passengers as people tend recline in their seat which exacerbates the perception that the space afforded to passengers is even smaller. In extreme cases, passenger discomfort can cause flight disruptions and conflicts among passengers.
There are also weight requirements for passenger seats which must be taken into account since weight affects directly the airline business because increased weight affects either the airline's operational costs or the business model of the airline which might offer more payload for the same fare. There are also aesthetics and design requirements that must be taken into account which play an important role for the airlines and branding for the original equipment manufacturer (OEM). Airlines are constantly striving for a distinctive look in a highly competitive market.
Last but certainly not the least are safety and crashworthiness requirements, which make the implementation of new solutions and new materials a risky business endeavor since crash conditions occur in severe dynamic scenarios that are difficult to predict.
The vast majority of seat manufacturers who address these challenges fail to fulfill all the requirements in the same way, usually resulting in a poor passenger comfort experience and/or a seat that is unnecessarily heavy. The common solution to reduce seat weight is to remove padding from the cushions, therefore making the seats lighter, slimmer and thinner. That trend, however, removes value from the passenger, as resting surfaces (i.e.: seat bottoms and backrests) get harder and trap heat, causing quick muscle fatigue. Tight pitches limit movements, and cushioning surfaces get thinner and harder. Alternative materials to foam in aircraft seat for passenger comfort, and alternative materials and techniques for seat structure design are not so common to come by. Some previous literature and patents have presented solutions to this sort of challenge, usually driven by weight reduction, and addressing the technological limitations brought by manufacturing processes and materials as evidenced by U.S. Pat. Nos. 8,047,613, 9,327,835, 7,871,039, 7,954,762, 8,016,361, 8,336,965, 8,020,936 and 8,596,723, the entire contents of each being expressly incorporated hereinto by reference. However, a passenger-driven approach that addresses the variety of human shapes and behaviors is still lacking in conventional seat designs and implementations.
It would therefore be highly desirable if vehicle passenger seats were provided that are both comfortable to the passenger yet are lightweight. It is towards providing such improvements to passenger seats that the embodiments disclosed herein are directed.